3 top former Turkish diplomats jailed in failed coup attempt

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's state news agency says three former top Turkish diplomats have been jailed for their alleged involvement in the failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Anadolu Agency said Saturday that Ali Findik and Tuncay Babali, former ambassadors to Costa Rica and Canada, and former envoy Gurcan Balik "have been removed from their posts" due to their alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim cleric who Turkey blames for the July 15 coup attempt. Gulen denies the claims.

Balik is a former senior aide to ex-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as well as a foreign policy adviser to the country's former president.

Turkey has detained more than 40,000 people and dismissed or suspended nearly 85,000 from their jobs since the failed coup that left 270 people dead.